Welcome to Ross
Location and History
Ross is a small, affluent and wooded incorporated town in Marin and adjacent to Kentfield off of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Coast Miwok Indians lived and were sustained by the land that is now called Ross Valley for hundreds of years. European diseases eventually decimated the Indian population. The settlement in 1817 of Mission San Raphael, with its vast land holding, also resulted in further incursions into areas occupied by the Coast Miwok Indians. After the Mexican Revolution of 1821, the "land grant" system of parceling out land gave rise to what we now know as Marin County. Ross was originally part of an 8,877-acre Mexican land grant to Juan B.R. Cooper in 1840 known as Ranch Punta de Quentin Canada de San Anselmo. The Town of Ross itself was named in honor of James Ross, who purchased the land in 1857 for $50,000. Ross built his home on Redwood Drive and moved there with his wife and three children. The land extended from what is now Corte Madera to Red Hill in San Anselmo. In the town that bears his name, Ross built his home on the property that is now the Marin Art & Garden Center. When James Ross died in 1862 his wife, Annie Ross, was forced to sell a portion of James Ross' larger land holdings to pay each of their daughters $10,000. The 297 acres she had remaining make up part of the Town of Ross today.
Once the Town was incorporated in 1908, one of the first actions of the new Town Council was to make it illegal to cut down trees without Town approval. Soon the streets were paved, streetlights erected, concrete bridges built over the creek and a firehouse constructed. Thanks to the foresight of our early leaders, the Town today rests under a leafy canopy that is unique in Marin County.
The shaded roads and lanes enhance this lovely town of grand estates and luxury custom homes. Large properties in park-like settings often have accommodations for horses, as well as tennis courts and swimming pools. Centered around the Ross Common is a small, very quaint commercial area featuring restaurants and shops. One enterprise, the Ross Grocery, has been operated by the same family since WWII.
Town of Ross
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,329 people, 761 households, and 626 families residing in the town. In the town the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the town was $102,015, and the median income for a family was $102,593.
Public Schools
Two public school districts serve students living in Ross. Ross School District for elementary and middle school, and Tamalpais Union High School District for high school.
Ross School District serves the community of Ross and parts of Kentfield. It is a one school district that educates children in the elementary and middle school grades.
Tamalpais Union High School District provides secondary school education to students coming from ten elementary districts in Marin County, including the Reed Union School District. It includes three comprehensive high schools, all of which have been designated as California Distinguished Schools, and two alternative schools. Students from the Ross School District attend Redwood High School.
Private Schools
Ross is home to the campus of the prestigious Branson School.
